


Neverending Elevator Ride

by kibasniper



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Blushing, During Canon, Elevators, F/F, Fluff, Help, Honesty, Missing Scene, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:42:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23694844
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kibasniper/pseuds/kibasniper
Summary: Alone in an elevator together, Rei listens to Asuka complain about her unfortunate predicament.
Relationships: Ayanami Rei/Souryuu Asuka Langley
Comments: 13
Kudos: 52





	Neverending Elevator Ride

**Author's Note:**

  * For [FreezingKaiju](https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreezingKaiju/gifts).



> written for freezing-kaiju on tumblr! i haven't read or watched nge in a while, but the part where shinji and asuka have to synchronize together always stuck with me, so that's when this fic takes place. this is also for a 50 wordless ways to say i love you writing prompt i reblogged on tumblr. this one is based on "listening to them while they vent."

“Tch, as if he thinks he’s so special.”

Rei raises her head as the hum of the elevator is interrupted. The reminder that she is not alone makes herself known. Keeping her head forward, she peers at the white double doors of the elevator, their windows blurred with thick electrical wiring and metal plates as they ascend.

“He can’t even make a decision by himself. I always have to take the lead or he falls behind,” Asuka mumbles, running her fingers through her hair. She gnaws on her lower lip, a vein pressing against her freckled brow. Her fingers curl inwards, tugging through the strands and pulling a few out right from their follicles. Withdrawing her hand, she inspects the hairs before flicking them away, snorting an insult under her breath.

Rei watches them fall. They blend in with Asuka’s scarlet plugsuit. It is more than evident that she is stressed. The way her eyes quickly dart to the corners of the elevator, focusing on nothing before shooting off elsewhere. They remind Rei of the missiles Asuka would eagerly fire at an Angel, blazing and fiery upon impact, but with their unfocused nature, dashing everywhere and nowhere at once, Rei wonders where they will land next.

“Try to stay synchronized, Misato says, but how the hell are we supposed to stay synchronized if he can’t keep up with me?” Asuka hisses to herself, her words unable to stay in her mind. They bubble within the cauldron of her belly and spill from her mouth, splashing out and landing on Rei as she listens, the elevator’s hum quieting around her.

Rei keeps her hands by her waist. Their floor is approaching at a snail’s pace, the gears within the elevator thrumming like a persistent drumbeat. Her heel clicks as she turns slightly to face Asuka, observing her pick at her thumb, her sharp fingernail toying with a pinprick of upturned skin.

“And she says that I’m the one who needs to slow down for him. Why? That idiot can’t keep up with me. I shouldn’t be responsible for-huh?” Asuka’s head flips up, her mouth forming a small ‘o’ as she catches Rei’s gaze. She blinks, her pupils dilating. Her lips smack together, no sound emerging from the back of her voice. Heat colors her cheeks a deep red hue, the same shade of Rei’s eyes as realization makes her shudder from head to toe.

But she clamps her mouth shut and steels her glare. Her fingernails dig into her palms. Her lip curls and nose wrinkles, her usual irritation front and center as she barks, “Why are you staring at me? If you have something to say, then say it.”

“You were muttering to yourself,” Rei responds matter-of-factly. “I couldn’t help but overhear your concerns.”

Dread touches Asuka’s features. Her bright red complexion falls for stark white. Teeth clench and jaw tightens, the tell-tale signs of her distress keep Rei at bay. The elevator climbs higher, their destination seemingly impossible to reach, and Rei thinks she hears Asuka’s heartbeat clamoring between the walls.

Asuka’s mouth twitches. “H-ha, ha ha, I didn’t know I-ah, well, it’s always the quiet ones who like eavesdropping, right?” she sneers, her words stumbling over her tongue. The insult is spat out and covers her stammering. She waves her hand as if swatting the ridicule towards her, adding, “Like I’d want to be heard by someone like you.”

She laughs, tittering like cymbals crashing together and fading when a song ends. The elevator continues to hum, filling the silence, and Rei knows she can hear Asuka’s heartbeat thundering between the confining walls closing in on them. She adjusts herself and faces forward, Asuka’s shadow crossing over hers as if commanding her to move, but she lifts her hand and sets it on her shoulder, caressing the jutting bone.

“If it’s difficult with Shinji, then I can substitute with him,” she offers, her words featherlight.

Asuka’s eyes bulge. The lump in her throat shifts. She swallows, but it remains wedged in her esophagus. Her lips shift upwards, disbelief striking her features, a dimple forming at the right curve of her mouth.

Rei applies gentle pressure, and Asuka breathes in sharply through her nose. She is struck silent, her expression one of bewilderment. Rei follows her closely. Asuka’s every twitch and glance are memorized, and Rei stores them in the data banks of her mind.

Asuka lifts her hand. She slowly drops it over Rei’s wrist. Her fingers curl around it, and her thumb presses against her pulse. Rei hears it pump in her ears as Asuka rubs it, but as slowly as she had moved, the faster she pulls away and smacks her hand against the wall.

“You just want to look good in front of the Commander, huh, wonder girl?” she blurts, the elevator coming to a stop. Her fists shake by her hips and make her entire body quake. Her teeth grind, but when the doors part and leak in shadows and flashes of color from control panels, Rei’s breath hitches her throat as she takes in Asuka’s fury.

“No. I just believe we would work well together,” she says, and her honesty surprises even her.

She has not seen Asuka’s cheeks flush so many times before. They heat up and color her entire face redder than her plugsuit. Her jaw moves up and down, her words stripped as if bewitched. Asuka rubs her neck, her lips pursing together, and she marches out without a response, heading over to Misato and Ritsuko and leaving Rei alone with her reasoning.

Stepping out, she follows behind Asuka. She supposes she overstepped the boundaries Asuka built between them with her truth. If she had to work with Shinji to defeat the Angel under Misato’s orders, then her pride would not allow Rei’s assistance.

But Rei believes the hint of a smile on Asuka’s face when she turned had implied that, perhaps, she considered it. Glancing at her hand, she ponders what it would be like to dance with her, and for a split second, she envies Shinji.


End file.
